Are you looking to get a new cat soon? Great! You may want to consider apurebred cat. There are many breeds that can be found in this country, each with its owncharacteristic appearance and temperament and history. Think carefully about what youwould characteristics you would like to see in your new companion. Perhaps you wouldcare to consider:

Turkish Van

A rare and ancient breed of cat, the Turkish Van was depicted on ornaments as farback as 5,000 B.C. The Turkish Van was so named for its region of origin, central andsouthwest Asia. The area includes the modern countries of Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Syria, andeastern Turkey. Van is a very common name in the area. There is in fact, a Lake Vanwhich is also Turkey's largest lake, so it is not surprising that Van was used as part ofthis breeds name. In fact, this cat is known sometimes in its lands of origin as the"Vancat". Turkish Vans were brought back to Europe by the Crusaders on their returnfrom the Holy Land. These cats were called several different names during that timeincluding; white ringtail and Russian Longhair.

The first Turkish Van cats to arrive in England were brought in 1955.The breedwas initially called the Turkish cat in England but this name was modified to TurkishVan later to avoid confusion with the Turkish Angora. The various names under whichthis breed was known in Europe created the misconception that is was simply a variant ofthe Turkish Angora. They are, in fact, very distinct breeds with separate histories. TheTurkish Van is very much the new kid on the block in America having been here onlysince a first importation of a few kittens in the mid 1970s, but the breed only began totake off in this country with a second importation from France in 1983. The Turkish Vanhas since attracted a loyal and spirited group of breeders and fanciers.

Turkish Vans are unfortunately rather rare even in their lands of origin. They arelarge and strong cats that are very intelligent and are very curious. They are also veryhealthy cats. Turkish Vans are unusual in that they require three to five years to reach fullmaturity. There is one other characteristic that makes them highly unique. Turkish Vanslove water. In their homeland, Turkish Vans are sometimes referred to as the swimmingcats.

The Turkish Vans most distinguishing feature is his coat. The breed standardrequires that Turkish Vans have a white semi-longhaired coat with colored markingsconfined to the head and tail. Cats of other breeds who display a similar color pattern areoften said to be "van-patterned". The coat lacks an undercoat and has a very unique andbeautiful texture similar to cashmere. This wonderful cashmere texture of the TurkishVans' coat makes it waterproof. Another plus to their unusual coat is that it doesn't easilymat or tangle and so requires little grooming.

The Turkish Van cat is an ancient breed whose winning ways continue to charmpeople to this day. Give the Turkish Van cat a closer look. These cats' great intelligenceand intense curiosity could make it interesting and entertaining pet. This cat may beexactly what you are looking for in a new companion.